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14 November 2012

I remember when I was in middle or high school and my parents were discussing Martha Stewart, trying to solve the riddle of her popularity and success, and this was when she was JUST a magazine and TV show. I think my mom hit the fancy, color coordinated thumbtack on the head when she said, Martha Stewart makes homemaking an art and something beautiful.

So true. 20 years later, and she's still at it but not just with crafting and baking. She has turned her creativity to the entire house, right down to filing those boring papers and labeling leftovers.

I received several products from her Martha Stewart Home Office™ with Avery™, and as it is with all things Martha, she makes them pretty. Label your leftovers or fruit you've preserved or vegetables you've frozen; the kitchen labels are freezer and dishwasher proof, so you'll never have to wonder ... what is this and when did I make it?

And my to-do lists just got a whole lot prettier with her ORANGE notepad that even has little dots to check. it. off. (The real reason I make to-do lists, that satisfaction of that little X ... just something about it.)

This next product was an idea I was getting around to doing, but of course Martha beat me to it. Imagine that. I've been wanting to attach a file to the door going out into the garage for permission slips and other notes and homework that need to be signed and returned to school instead of getting left on the counter or elsewhere. They are easily seen, easily stored, and easily taken as little feet run out the door.

The Shagreen Pocket comes with adhesive or you can use the holes to attach it to a cork board. Genius.

The Martha Stewart Home Office with Avery line also includes some pretty Corner Lock™ High Capacity Document Sleeves that are closed on two sides but also include a little corner tab to keep the papers safely tucked in. I like that they're clear, so you can see what's inside, or you can use one of the labels to keep things straight.

She even makes calendaring pretty! That will be tucked in my purse with promises of being more organized next year.

She's even prettified the sticky notepad with the little corner cut-outs. If you're the color coordinating-buy-just-because-it's-cute type of person, you're going to love every single thing in the Martha Stewart Home Office with Avery line for coordinating everything office related to your heart's content. Nice. Make filing a joy? I'm on board.

Do you have any tricks to organizing your home office? Leave me a comment for a chance to win a $100 Staples gift card, courtesy of Avery and BlogHer! Wahoo!

Rules:No duplicate comments.You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this postb) Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: "#SweepstakesEntry"; and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this postc) Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this postd) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.The Official Rules are available here.This sweepstakes runs from 11/14/12-12/14/12.Be sure to visit the Martha Stewart Home Office with Avery page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ reviews and find more chances to win!

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152 comments:

I have a file box with a folder for each month. I move the current month to the front and put it in the back once it has passed. I put invitations and ideas from magazines in the appropriate month and then they are ready when I need them. I also have a year round folder for things that are ongoing. I love Martha, thanks for the chance!

Are we being honest here;)? The real important things go on a walled bulletin board behind my computer so it's in view, the less important is in a stack to right of my desk so I can get to it "someday". Then I sort the big pile into three smaller piles... you might call it the shuffle method!

I put all bills in a little divider in our cabinet for bills in the kitchen. Then I set a reminder on my phone for when the bill is due and when it needs to be sent out. We have an old Easter bucket for documents that need to be shredded later and a trash can for recyclable papers. It would be nice if it was super pretty though, but this still works for us. :-)

I mostly have all my bills sent electronically, however, I have forms, permission slips and reminders from the kid's daycare that seem to get lost in the paper shuffle. I keep a colored folder on my computer desk so I know where to find them and return them back to school.

The best thing to help us remember to get things done is our big white board by the back door. This past summer I bought a Martha Stewart wall/window cling from Staples with the days of the week. My son really likes to know plans for a day or week, so he loved having it up there for him. Thanks for the chance to win!

I am an organized brain trapped in the body of an unorganized woman. The more kids I add to my life, and the older I get I can't seem to figure out how to juggle it all. These things would help so much. Thanks for the chance.

Oh I've spent many visits to Staples in the Martha Stewart section. I love that line. I used some of her lablels for the bins in our hall closet. Each one is designated for a different medical issue. It makes me happy to open the door and see everything perfectly organized. And the bins are fabric so they aren't see through, but the labels stick just perfectly! Love that even more!

I think the biggest trick for my home office is to put things in their right place as soon as they come in the door. I waste so much time on the "paper stack" when I don't open the mail, look at school papers, etc. and immediately take action. It never hurts to have cute office supplies to motivate you to use them, too. :)

My tip is simply adding organzing to your busy schedule. Put paper filing on the to-do list and then you won't keep putting it off until you have a mountain of paper to sort, shred and store elsewhere.

I was always so behind on filing when I tried file everything by type (Discover card statement in one folder, Visa in another, a third for bank statements etc.) Now I just have 12 folders labeled one per month. Any important paper just gets filed in the corresponding month's folder. It's pretty rare that I have to go back and look at these anyway, so even if I have to dig through a few months before finding the right one I'm still saving time/sanity overall.

I stack everything on top of the filing cabinet and hope that I decide to file before the pile slides off. I need help. I still carry a paper planner because I have not yet succumbed to a smart phone...

I've got six boys, so I too have had a hard time keeping track of permission slips, order forms, game schedules, etc. I recently purchased a double hanging file and some pretty file folders; I put each kid's name on a folder, then stuff accordingly. Oh, I also have a folder marked school just for things that apply to all of them. :)

I'm trying so hard to get organized... I'm not so hot at it. I have finally found a place for all of our mail and important papers, though. The trick was that it had to be out in the open and really accessible as you walked through the front door or my hubby would just throw it all on the counter... so on the side of our hanging cupboards, I nailed up a metal plate rack that I'd painted yellow to coordinate with our kitchen. Each slot which would normally hold a plate is a spot for something different - bills to pay, stuff for me, stuff for him, stuff to file, stuff to shred. So far it's been working... :)

For us it's all about the cork board. It's on the wall by the computer. Next to the calendar we tack the bills on one tack in order of due date. We also tack gift cards/certificates, odd ball non-grocery coupons and the like. Putting paperwork away as soon as it comes in the door is key to keeping the piles down. I also keep a separate file box for manuals. Sounds silly but it's been such a help cause they're always there and I don't have to spend an hour just trying to find the manual.

The office is always a mess at my house. I try to organize everything by grouping it into separate areas for the office study, a homework area, and an area for my husband. By grouping, it is easier to find things because they should be in a specific area.

The only thing that keeps me organized is to take care of bills, documents, etc as soon as I get them. If I don't pay the bills and file the documents right away it all piles up and I'm hopeless! Heheraewangsgard(at)hotmail(dot)com

I have a hanging file folder for important papers that need to be easily accessed. All other papers (like manuals for appliances) are in accordian files with cute stripes! I have clear bins to hold loose computer cables. There is a small letterholder for online coupons. I try to keep my desktop clear except for a cup full of pens & pencils and my desk calender.

I love those hanging file boxes...coincidentally also from Staples. They are portable, and they actually look not dreadful, and hanging files really accommodate my way of thinking and resorting through all the stuff I've got stashed away...I'd love a prettier Martha version though!

I have a file where I save receipts of things I may need to return and things with warranties . Also, I always go through the mail over the recycling bin right after retrieving it so that junk mail never even gets saved in a pile.

I have a box in the kitchen with accordion file with categories. It's really helped to have one place for all incoming mail to be placed. Once a week or so I go thru my pockets and pay or file the information. (I can't believe how long it took me to fix this up - for a couple of years the mail was loose all over the house!)

Next to the computer I have a notebook where I write notes to remind me of bills paid and things I need to do. Especially during big projects that helps.

It was exactly one year ago that a Church poster assignment took me to Staples, and I was lost for so long in awe of the Martha isles. For SO LONG. I can't think of anything much better than a $100 gift card for these items. Especially because I have no tricks! Since moving into our new place, all paper work is piled and stashed behind the roll-top of the desk Ben made in high school. It is an ongoing "to-do" to organize it.

my tip for organzing my office is to type in post it ntoes and little reminders and notes into a documenr on your PC so you cansearch and find it. lookingthrough piles and piles of scribbled notes does not work. if appropriate sort the notes by date as a reminder file.

I use different file folders for Bills to pay, different categories for filing receipts and statements, and a basket that contains my calculator, stamps, envelopes, and the checkbook (when we're not using) so everything is together

I use clear totes of identical size all stacked neatly and labelled from floor to ceiling (several stacks) in alphabetical or chronological order...whichever is the Proper method. I LOVE Martha Stewart and I have now added you to my list of blogs to follow!